On the occasion of the press conference which was held yesterday in Sarajevo by suspended member of the Football Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina mediation and counseling board Faruk Hadzibegic, FFBiH would like to inform the public of the following situation:

Following Faruk Hadzibegic's recent public appearance, which is why the FFBiH Disciplinary Committee initiated disciplinary proceedings and imposed a suspension, he made a series of lies and insinuations towards president Elvedin Begic and FFBiH as an institution of public interest, based solely on his personal dissatisfaction, frustration and animosity toward the president.

While addressing the media, Hadzibegic didn't offer any single valid argument to prove his explicit statements, which absolutely can't be considered true, established, and credible. On the contrary!

Bearing in mind that the last media appearance was deliberately scheduled just days before the election session of the FFBiH General Assembly, which clearly indicates the purpose and intent of Hadzibegic's media campaign, it's necessary to point out the following facts about his public allegations:

- After FFBiH's suspension in April 2011, FIFA appointed Elvedin Begic as member of the Normalization committee, together with Ivan Osim, Darko Ljubojevic, Ivan Beus, Dragan Kulina and Sead Kajtaz. At the same time, Dusko Bajevic, Faruk Hadzibegic Sergej Barbarez were appointed as the FFBiH ambassadors. Begic was later appointed as the vice president of the Normalization committee, and following that he was elected president of the FFBiH in 2012 according to the new statutory regulations. All this has been perfectly legal and in accordance with the relevant FIFA, UEFA and FFBiH regulations, so it's totally unfounded to call president Elvedin Begic's presidency "illegal".

- Faruk Hadzibegic's allegations regarding the "dictatorship" of president Begic have nothing to do with the actual facts and relationships within FFBiH. President has regularly honored the constructive and useful opinions and suggestions of the Executive Board and Mediation and counseling committee's members, as well as members of the administration, which point out his fairness and professionalism in the implementation of numerous activities and projects, with the sole aim of FFBiH's development and affirmation of every hard-working individual. If this can be called a "dictatorship", then the question is what democracy truly is.

- From the beginning of his term, FFBiH president Elvedin Begic's relationship with the President of the FSRS Mile Kovacevic has been fair and professional. The fact that there was no outvoting by the national or entity basis at the ExCo board meetings, confirms that FFBiH led by this president has achieved excellent results, all in very difficult circumstances, which was repeatedly emphasized by the legitimate FIFA and UEFA representatives. At the same time it's the answer to the allegations of "nationalistic poisoning" by president Begic.

- Comparing the Mediation and counseling board members with "ficus trees" is out of place and also unfounded. Chairman Ivan Osim and members Dusko Bajevic and Sead Kajtaz gave their full support to the work of FFBiH, attending the Executive Board meetings in accordance with the possibilities and current circumstances. In absence, all the members of this committee, including Faruk Hadzibegic, had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the relevant documents pertaining to the decisions and conclusions of this committee and never expressed any objections in this regard. Regardless of his irregular arrivals at the meetings, Hadzibegic was regularly paid in full each month, besides other payments established by FFBiH regulations.

- Allegations concerning president Elvedin Begic's role of the in "A" team's work are ridiculous and sad, and the results achieved in the last four years disprove his words and don't require any special comments. To be clear once again, our best team participated in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and almost qualified for the next round. Of course, it's necessary to point out the "Kirin Cup" in Japan this year which our team won, despite opposite expectations and forecasts of skeptics, including Hadzibegic himself. Therefore, it's disgusting and foul to talk about the "witchhunt" and other problems, because the evident successes are the best indicator of our work, quality and attitude.

- The claims relating to the status and suspension of the Executive Board members Senad Islam and Ibrahim Adilagic, as well as a former member Amer Halep, Faruk Hadzibegic also doesn't offer any arguments other than arbitrary conclusions. In any developed democratic country and national association, including France where he lives and works, harsh and unjustified attacks on the institutions and individuals who represent them are not justified nor tolerated. The entire disciplinary proceedings against the above mentioned, including Faruk Hadzibegic, are led by the competent committee, and in accordance with the FFBiH Disciplinary Regulations.

- Accusations related to FFBiH's financial operations are similar to previous ones, because they are based on suspicions and assumptions. It is no secret that the authorities have been carrying out proper control of FFBiH's business for the time period since 2010, but the undeniable fact is that there aren't elements pointing out to any criminal liabilities. FFBiH has absolute confidence in the work of law enforcement institutions, and posesses the complete documentation on its operations. For this reason, it's unacceptable and malicious to direct arbitrary assumptions in public. In this sense, FFBiH will take adequate measures to protect the dignity, reputation, and integrity of this institution headed by president Elvedin Begic.

Despite all accusations, FFBiH will continue with the scheduled activities for the General Assembly electoral session, which will be held in Sarajevo on Thursday, December 22nd.